The Legend of Zelda: Goddess in the Machine
by DoctorJam
Summary: Link lives a hand-to-mouth life in Hateno Village as a monster hunter and inventor. It's been hundreds of years since the last emergence of Ganon and Hyrule is now a world of industry and mechanisation, but there are stirrings in the Gerudo Highlands to the West. A malevolent force is making itself known and it's up to Link to fulfil his destiny as the next Hero of Hyrule.
1. Chapter 1: Monster Teeth

Chapter 1: Monster Teeth

It was a bright, cold morning and the sun had barely crested the peak of Mount Lanayru, revealing a deep layer of barely disturbed snow covering Hateno village. For days it had fallen and coated the houses and farmland, but now it had stopped. The only signs of life at this moment were a set of footprints that led away from the village and into the surrounding woods.

Link sat hunkered down among the trees deep in Hateno woods. Link was a young Hylian man of 17, a bit short but lean and handsome with sharp, alert features. His blond hair was tied back in a bun to expose his pointed ears. He wore a pair of brown leather boots, tan trousers, a sky-blue jacket sown with traditional Hateno patterns, and a heavy fur cloak and hood. Holstered on his back was a round, wooden shield. At his waist was a sheathed sword and a contraption that resembled a metal, clawed glove.

The sun's light had yet to penetrate the evergreen canopy above, and a chill hung in the air. Link could see his own breath like a fog in the air as he breathed slowly and steadily. Ahead of him was a clear area where a gang of bokoblins had chopped down some trees and set up camp. One of them was keeping watch by the dwindling bonfire and judging by the size of the tent and what remained of the deer carcass on the ground, there were probably two more asleep. The guard turned its head this way and that, peering with watery eyes into the dark trees. Though it couldn't see well, its piggish nose twitched, trying to smell out a threat. In its hand was gripped a cruel-looking axe.

Link remained downwind. Three dead bokoblins would be worth enough rupees to keep him fed for almost a whole week. And this was the perfect opportunity for him to test his invention in the field.

He had named it the clawshot. Fashioned from a grappling hook and rope, with a spring-loaded mechanism connected to a gauntlet, it was powered by pressurised steam in a repurposed glass bottle. Link had built the device himself and tested it at home. He hoped that it would give him the edge against these bokoblins in a wooded area like this.

The sound or smell of an animal in the woods drew the bokoblin's attention and it turned away from Link. This was his chance. Clutching the clawshot, he took aim at the canopy of a tree nearest the sentry. He fired and the claw shot forward in a burst of steam, dragging the rope behind it and burying itself in the wood. Another click of the trigger and Link was rappelled forward, sword in hand. He flew over the bokoblin's head and swung his sword down, cleaving the back of its head and sending it flying.

The branch that the clawshot had found wasn't very sturdy, and the sudden drag caused by the sword finding its mark snapped it. Link fell clumsily from the air into the snowy ground. He pushed himself upright but already the tent opening had be flung aside and two more bokoblins were descending on him, fangs bared, their snouts wrinkled in fury.

Sword in one hand, clawshot in the other, Link jumped aside as the bokoblins swung for him. One held a mean-looking wooden club, but the other had an old and battered metal sword. Probably taken from a victim in the Hylian wilderness.

Link decided to strike with the clawshot again, firing it with another jet of steam toward a tree stump behind the bokoblins. It found its mark and Link swept to the side again, sweeping at the bokoblins' legs with the taut rope. The one with the club fell to the ground hard, but the one with the sword brought the sharp edge up and cut the rope. Link sprawled backwards. Twisting in the ground, Link felt the bokoblin's sword thump the shield on his back. He pushed up and swung his sword in an arc and took the bokoblin's head clean off.

The one he had tripped was scrabbling about on what seemed to be a broken ankle. Link strode forward and the bokoblin twisted and lunged up at him. Link buried his sword in its chest. The fight was over.

Stillness returned to the clearing, but for the crackle of the small bonfire. Link took a brief look at the ruined clawshot. It had worked pretty well, but he would need something stronger than rope to keep it from being cut again. He holstered it and retrieved the loose grappling claw from the tree stump.

Link then began the task of approaching each body and wrenching one large fang out of each of their mouths. He stowed these in a small satchel which already held nearly a dozen keese fangs. Monster teeth. As a monster hunter, Link was paid to kill all manner of vicious creatures, and these teeth would allow him to collect his reward.

Finished, Link then began making his way back toward Hateno village. The sun was finally penetrating the woods, and Link could feel the warmth of it touch his face as he headed home.


	2. Chapter 2: Hyrule's Most Wanted

Chapter 2: Hyrule's Most Wanted

When Link reached the edge of the forest, he stooped down to gather a clump of snow and rubbed it across his sword's blood-stained blade. It would do for a quick clean until he got home.

"Hoy, small fry!" came a voice.

Link looked up and spotted a young man he recognised, walking up the snow-covered path toward Hateno Village.

"Callam," said Link.

Callam was another monster hunter, from Lurelin Village on the Southern coast. He was a black man only a year or so older than Link, but easily a head taller. He had the broad shoulders of an experienced swimmer. He wore a leather boots and jacket over a waistcoat and loose-sleeved shirt, and he had a bandana tied around his shaved head. On his back he carried a long fishing spear and a wooden chest presumably containing various monster parts for bounty.

"Him of little words," said Callam. "How are you on this chilly morning?"

Link sheathed his sword and they embraced on the road. When they pulled apart, they started the climb to Hateno Village together.

"I'm well. Made some last-minute kills ahead of payment today." said Link, patting his satchel.

"This near the village?" asked Callam.

"Bokoblins. They've been appearing more frequently." said Link.

"It's been the same down South. One of our fishing boats nearly got taken down by octoroks that were nearer to shore than I've ever seen before." Said Callam, his easy voice and calm demeanour belying his concern. "Mind you, it's more money for us."

Silence fell between them. Link was not one for long conversations and for a while, the only sound was their boots crunching in the snow.

"Why are you not collecting in Lurelin?" asked Link.

"I was heading for Hyrule City and figured I'd collect my bounty here instead." Said Callam.

"Hyrule City?" asked Link.

"I heard there were some earning opportunities there." Said Callam. "Something about outlaws causing trouble."

Link and Callam reached the entrance to Hateno Village. Already there were people stirring and going about their business. They paid little heed to Link or Callam, despite the flecks of bokoblin blood on Link's face.

Among the new clusters of footprints in the snow there were also the tracks and horse hoofprints that indicated a wagon had passed through. Link followed these, with Callam keeping pace behind him.

In the village square, the wagon that Link had been looking for had come to a halt. It was a large wagon, painted black and housing a wrought iron cage designed to carry half a dozen men. It was pulled by two massive black horses, who both grazed on feedbags affixed around their muzzles. On the side of the wagon, Link could see in gold paint the weeping Eye of Truth, which designated this as a vehicle of the Hyrule Police.

Standing alongside the wagon was one police officer who Link recognised, and one who was a stranger. Milton was an older Hylian man, not especially tall but given an extra foot of height by his bell-shaped helmet, which also displayed the Eye of Truth. He had dark circles under his eyes and pouchy cheeks that gave him a permanently sour expression. He was dressed all in black, including a heavy black coat, upon which his silver badge stood out brightly. The handle of a flintlock pistol could be seen peeking from under his coat.

His partner was clearly a Sheikah woman. She was young and lithe, with her silver hair tied up under a helmet of her own. Her alert, red eyes almost gleamed. She wore a black uniform as well, but while Milton kept on his thick coat, she seemed more comfortable in the cold. She also carried a pistol along with a Sheikah blade.

Milton had been coming to Hateno for as long as Link remembered, taking any criminals from the village's lock-up to Hyrule City for trial and imprisonment, but more usually paying monster hunters their bounty in exchange for proof of their killings. He always travelled with a partner, who was usually a younger Sheikah learning the ropes. It was the Sheikah who had formed and ran the Hyrule Police, and they made up a large chunk of the officers.

"Hoy, Milton." Said Callam, waving in greeting.

Link nodded. Milton gave a grunt and tilted his head in acknowledgement, which was positively good-natured of him.

"That's Officer Milton to you." The young Sheikah took a powerful stance and placed her hand on her sword hilt.

"Calm down, Officer Maya," said Milton. "It's just some hunters after paying."

Maya took her hand away from the blade and stood to attention. All the same, Link thought that she looked like she could kill someone bare-handed if she wanted.

"What have you got for me?" asked Milton.

Link opened his satchel and pulled out the freshly extracted bokoblin teeth and a bundle of keese fangs. Milton examined them while Maya watched.

"Teeth are the usual indicator for a monster kill," Milton explained to Maya. "Sometimes hunters might try to show you several teeth from one mouth to try and get some extra rupees. But these are all upper canines from the right side of the head."

"How can you tell?" asked Maya.

"The size and shape. Also the shape of the root." Said Milton.

"You're in the wrong profession, M- uh, Officer Milton." Said Callam with a glance at Maya.

Milton ignored Callam and went to the wagon to retrieve some Rupees, which he handed to Link. He made to repeat the procedure with Callam when Link held up his hand.

"Hold on," said Link. "I was expecting more Rupees than this."

"Ah," said Milton. "Yes, well…"

"King Elfred has brought in a further tax on all hunter earnings." Chimed in Maya.

"You short-changing us, Milton?" said Callam.

"You know how it is, gents." Stammered Milton. "We've got outlaws to deal with, the Yiga Clan making trouble in the West, and what with more monsters showing up all over, the Crown needs Rupees."

"So we do your job for you, and now you're paying us less for it?" asked Link.

"Stand back, hunter," said Maya, who was flushing with anger. "You can take what we give you or get nothing. It's your choice."

Link saw Maya place her hand on her blade again, ready to draw. He grimaced and stood back while Callam got paid for his dried octorok tentacles.

"Look, if you need the extra money, we have a couple of big bounties." Said Milton.

He drew a leather-bound book from the driver's seat of the wagon and opened it up to two loose leaves of paper. He handed them both to Link, who held them up so Callam could read them over his shoulder.

One was a poster titled _Wanted: Alive. Outlaw Tetra. 100 Rupees. _There was no sketch, but it described a disguised woman attacking train stations. The other was titled _Hunters Wanted. Clear Monsters from Goron Mines, Eldin._

"The first you can collect from Police Chief Impa at Hyrule City Police Headquarters," said Maya. "The second you can collect direct from Boss Gormant in Goron City."

"Pleasure doing business with you, gents." Said Milton, though his face told Link that it had been no pleasure at all.


End file.
